Bike commuting continues to rise, especially in cities

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the share of Americans who bike to work. Although the survey only counts people as bike commuters if they ride to work the majority of days (among other restrictions), it’s the best way to track the growth of bicycling to work. The League of American Bicyclists crunched the latest survey data and found that bike commuting rose slightly (though not significantly), from 0.53% in 2010 to 0.56% in 2011.

Since 2000, bike commuting grew 47% on average in the U.S. It fared even better in large cities, where it increased 73% on average. If you live in a metropolitan area, you can see how your city stacked up in the chart below or by searching the spreadsheet linked in this blog by the League of American Bicyclists.